Transformers Fan-Built-Bot revealed

Here's a Hasbro press release, pared down to the actual news:

San Diego, CA – July 18, 2013 – [...] Hasbro announced the result of the first "Fan Built Bot Poll." Hosted earlier in the year, the poll asked fans around the world to vote on a series of TRANSFORMERS character elements such as faction, personality, vehicle mode and more. Hasbro combined all of the winning elements and unveiled the newest character to be incorporated into TRANSFORMERS lore and will be made into an action figure, part of the "Thrilling 30" line of numbered figures. The character is WINDBLADE, a female AUTOBOT jet who will appear in the "Thrilling 30" numbered line. The WINDBLADE character will make an appearance in future IDW comics as a lasting part of TRANSFORMERS lore with the opportunity to appear in additional brand expressions in the future. The WINDBLADE character action figure will be #30 in the "Thrilling 30" line and becomes available in late 2014.

And so on in that fashion.

Windblade! A female Autobot jet! With a kabuki-influenced design! Congratulations, fellow fanboys: we didn't F this one up!


8 Responses to Transformers Fan-Built-Bot revealed

  1. prfkttear says:

    "we didn't f this one up" is that snark or are you being serious?

  2. yo go re says:

    Whether that was snark or not, I like her...

  3. anphr says:

    IDW is making this into a monthly comic for the 30th anniversary year. They are running out ideas.

    Whatever. Reminds me of the marketing research tactics Hasbro uses with Star Wars fan created characters and why so many people love EU, there are about as many that hate it. Marghiread Scott's idea for this to be a comic. Cause she's a reaell fangrll. rowh Maybe they can market it into My Little Bronies. There is sadly a segment of the Transformers male fan base out there that loves it and Hasbro will exploit them.

    • Soundwinder says:

      ... huh?

    • OAFE says:

      No, they're making ONE comic about her, not an ongoing. And how, precisely, does "starting a new comic" equate to "running out of ideas"? If anything, wouldn't starting a new comic mean they had TOO MANY ideas, and needed more room to explore them all?

      As for the Star Wars Expanded Universe, it's entirely possible that there are fans who hate it. There are fans who hate everything. And yet every time an EU character has gotten a toy it's been a fast seller, so it doesn't seem like those fans really matter very much.

      • Ozymandias says:

        *Gasp* you mean something selling almost exclusively to a rabid niche sells fast? The mass market and public don't care about the EU nobody should be surprised if the new movies ignore it.

        The response to Windblade is the same as Drift which makes sense because the two might as well be joined at the hip no surprise it's getting the same collective eyeroll from people.

        • yo go re says:

          Same response as Drift? So fans will hate her at first, then reverse their position and start to love her once she appears in more books. That'll be fun...

  4. WM-R says:

    I have extremely mixed feelings here. On one hand, I did my damndest during the voting process to get as close to Deszaras/Deathsaurus as I could. It was a vain hope, but dammit, let's get some more 'cons out there.

    On the other hand, a female Autobot jet is admittedly new. I'm not liking the fact she's yet another sword-wielder (I mean, why do spears and axes not get more love?) and the kabuki-inspired designed, but I'll withhold judgement until more info is available.

    I will also state for the record I detested Drift more for his creator and his All Hail Megatron storyline. The fact Drift basically appeared to be little more than a Mary Sue-type original character didn't help. Also, the fact Drift was hailed as a Wolverine-type character. I hate Wolverine-types.

    When will Rung get a figure?

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